Clear the path!

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

When the big snowstorms hit Saratoga, the coaches head to the new track, shovels in hand, to clear a path for the kids to run.

It’s been a snowy winter, but that won’t stop Saratoga’s track team from holding the school’s first invitational on Saturday. Scott Stevens, who hatched the project too build an all-weather track a decade ago, should be at the track’s inauguration.

Five to seven junior varsity and varsity teams should show up at the track, which is located west of Saratoga High School, at 9 a.m. for the field events. Running events should begin around 11:45 a.m. and should last about three hours.

As far as the track’s condition, coach Rex Hohnholt said despite the weather, it’s ready to go.
There’s still a 100-yard long snowdrift at the south end that’ll force the team to delay installing the bleachers. Instead, teams and spectators can join each other on the already sodded, well-drained football field.

Likewise, snow and mud have prevented connecting the plumbing in the restrooms. Alternatives include the nearby locker rooms and several portable restrooms rented for the event.

“We won’t have any problems,” Hohnholt said, but “it’s impossible to fight Mother Nature. There is a lot of snow and a lot of mud still, but you’ve just got to roll with the punches.”

Having the track finished this season is important, since the old track is in poor shape, according to Hohnholt. “If we’d not gotten this facility this year, we’d have been in a world of hurt. The kids are tickled pink.”